Warriors Light not a pretty sight
Without four All-Stars, team labors in defeat, but 2 seed locked up
OAKLAND >> So this is what life is like without any All-Stars.
The Warriors labored through a 110-91 loss to the Utah Jazz on Sunday at Oracle Arena, without any luxury to rely on stellar scoring (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant) or stellar defense (Draymond Green).
The Warriors fielded a starting backcourt that features an emerging player that had mostly spent time in the G-League this season (Quinn Cook) and an inconsistent shooter that calls himself “Swaggy P” (Nick Young).
Yet, the Warriors viewed this outcome with a collective shrug for practical reasons. They do not have their star players in uniform.
The Warriors (54-19) also have pretty firm position for the No. 2 spot over the Portland Trail Blazers (45-28).
“These games are obviously not critical,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said beforehand. “We’re going to be the 2 seed.”
The Warriors will be a No. 2 seed, but without a healthy Curry. Though Curry wants to prove otherwise, Kerr said “there’s no way he’s playing in the first round of the playoffs” after suffering a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee.
While the Warriors wait patiently before reevaluating Curry
in three weeks, the Warriors struggled with other ailments to their other AllStars in Green (flu), Durant (ribs) and Thompson (right thumb). Warriors guard Omri Casspi (sprained right ankle) and Chris Boucher (sprained left ankle) also sat out.
Kerr pleaded for Warriors fans not to worry too much, though. Kerr projected Green and Durant will play either at home on Tuesday (Indiana) or Thursday (Milwaukee). Kerr added Thompson “is coming along well” and should return shortly after this week.
Against Utah, though, all of those absences contributed to various struggles. Cook (17 points) and Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (12) marked the lone players to crack double digits. The Warriors shot only 41.8 percent from the field. Once Utah took a 25-24 lead with 10:07 lead left in second quarter, the Warriors never led again. The Jazz had seven players crack double figures, including its entire starting lineup that featured Donovan Mitchell (21 points) and Rudy Gobert (17 points, 15 rebounds).
“We hung in there pretty well. We just didn’t have enough firepower,” Kerr said. “But I like the way we fought.”
And at least no Warriors other players became injured. Well, almost. Cook suffered what he called a “stinger” in his left knee that prompted him to leave
just before halftime. Cook received treatment then and returned in the second half for a simple reason: “If I can walk, I can play.”
“We obviously want to come here and win these games. But with four AllStars out, it’s tough,” Cook said. “Especially at this point in the season, guys are fighting for their playoff berths.
The Warriors had lost to Utah (42-32) on Jan. 30, 129-99, but the Warriors attached those reasons to apathy and lack of intensity. The Warriors lost on Sunday because they fielded a starting lineup featuring Cook, Young, Patrick McCaw, Kevon Looney and JaVale McGee instead of their four AllStars. Iguodala and Shaun Livingston stayed put as reserves to preserve their minutes and maintain continuity.
“It’s hard to talk about it, honestly. It’s hard to judge,” Warriors center Zaza Pachulia said. “It’s the first time I’ve seen these kind of lineups and these guys getting so many minutes. I don’t think it’s fair to talk about it.”